Equality for Two-Parent Families Act of 2006

Equality for Two-Parent Families Act of 2006 - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act to eliminate the separate work participation rate for two-parent families (thus subjecting all families on TANF to the same rate).

Declares that a family that includes a disabled parents shall not be treated as a two-parent family.

[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2286 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2286

To amend part A of title IV of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 
   separate work participation rate for 2-parent families under the 
            temporary assistance for needy families program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 14, 2006

  Mr. Obama (for himself and Mr. Bayh) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend part A of title IV of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 
   separate work participation rate for 2-parent families under the 
            temporary assistance for needy families program.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Equality for Two-Parent Families Act 
of 2006''.

SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF SEPARATE WORK PARTICIPATION RATE FOR 2-PARENT 
              FAMILIES.

    (a) In General.--Section 407 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
607) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) beginning in the heading, by striking 
                ``Participation Rate Requirements'' and all that 
                follows through ``A State'' in paragraph (1) and 
                inserting ``Participation Rate Requirements.--A 
                State''; and
                    (B) by striking paragraph (2);
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ``subsection 
                (a)(1)'' and inserting ``subsection (a)'';
                    (B) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the 
                following:
            ``(2) Family with a disabled parent not treated as a 2-
        parent family.--A family that includes a disabled parent shall 
        not be considered a 2-parent family for purposes of this 
        section.'';
                    (C) in paragraph (4), by striking ``paragraphs 
                (1)(B) and (2)(B)'' and inserting ``determining monthly 
                participation rates under paragraph (1)(B)''; and
                    (D) in paragraph (5), by striking ``rates'' and 
                inserting ``rate''; and
            (3) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)(B), in the matter preceding 
                clause (i), by striking ``subsection (b)(2)(B)'' and 
                inserting ``subsection (b)(1)(B)(i)''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2)(D)--
                            (i) by striking ``paragraphs (1)(B)(i) and 
                        (2)(B) of subsection (b)'' and inserting 
                        ``subsection (b)(1)(B)(i)''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``and in 2-parent 
                        families, respectively,''.
    (b) Effective Date.--
            (1) In general.--The amendments made by subsection (a) 
        shall take effect on the date of enactment of this Act and 
        shall apply to the determination of minimum participation rates 
        for months beginning on or after that date.
            (2) Limitation on penalty imposition.--Notwithstanding 
        section 409(a)(3) of the Social Security Act, the Secretary of 
        Health and Human Services shall not impose a penalty against a 
        State under that section on the basis of the State's failure to 
        satisfy the participation rate required for fiscal year 2006 if 
        the State demonstrates that the State would have met such 
        requirement if, with respect to those months of fiscal year 
        2006 that began prior to or on the date of enactment of this 
        Act, the State were permitted to count 2-parent families that 
        met the requirements of section 407(c)(1)(A) of the Social 
        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 607(c)(1)(A)) in the determination of 
        monthly participation rates under section 407(b)(1)(B)(i) of 
        such Act (42 U.S.C. 607(b)(1)(B)(i)).
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